"He said, 'Man, a big shark just grabbed me," said Mike "Scotty" Burns, a lifelong surfer who was one of the first to help the young man.

Burns shot cellphone video as he and a woman tended to the victim. They sat him down, grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding and tended to the injury to his left hand. The video shows the surfer keeping calm moments after walking away from the shark attack.

"He said it happened so fast it was like, boom! It hit him. He was just in shock. He couldn't believe that he got bit by a shark, and then he couldn't believe that he was out there by himself," said Burns. "He was going to try to drive and I was like, 'You can't.' His hand was broken. You could see where his hand was broken. You could see the teeth marks. He's lucky he's got his hand."

Burns said despite his injuries, the surfer wondered if and when he will be able to surf again.

Officials said the victim was taken to Parish Medical Center, but did not release his condition.